Behind the counter at Andy's Pizza, AI now helps direct everything from when mozzarella gets ordered to the moment a pie needs to hit the oven.

Why it matters: As restaurant chains pour money into AI to cut labor costs, fast-growing D.C. pizza chain Andy's is betting custom-built AI tools can help it scale without sacrificing hospitality.

State of play: Andy Brown has spent the past year quietly building what he calls "Andy's OS" — an AI-powered operating system for his restaurants.

• The homemade platform helps with everything from staffing schedules to a line cook's many micro-decisions.
• Brown built it himself, despite having no formal coding background.

What they're saying: "That's where I see AI going," Brown tells Axios. "Now I, a nontechnical person with expert-level knowledge of my own business, can build software around the needs of my business."

Zoom in: Andy's still feels like a neighborhood pizza joint.

• Employees answer phones. Walk in for a $4.50 slice, and there's someone behind the counter — no kiosks or QR-code ordering. But the company is growing fast.
• Andy's now operates 14 DMV locations with roughly 350 employees. Some stores sell upwards of 30,000 pizzas a week — and on weekend nights, Andy's routinely shuts off online ordering because kitchens hit capacity.

Zoom out: Restaurants are rapidly becoming tech companies.

• Chains like Chipotle and Starbucks are investing heavily in AI tools for scheduling, forecasting, inventory management and ordering systems.
• Locally, fast-casual giant Cava has also embraced tech-driven labor and kitchen optimization.
• But much of the industry's AI push has centered on efficiency and cost-cutting — even at fine-dining restaurants, where AI phone services now replace hosts.

Yes, but: Brown sees AI differently: as a way to give workers more time to focus on customers and food quality while avoiding what he calls a "robot restaurant."

• Brown says Andy's hasn't reduced headcount because of the tools.

How it works: Much of Andy's AI happens quietly in the background — helping workers make hundreds of tiny decisions faster.

• Pizza forecasting: One of Brown's favorite tools predicts when pizzas should go into the oven based on how quickly slices are selling, so they're always hot and fresh.
• Scheduling: The system hyper-customizes scheduling to match Andy's exact business and labor requirements — from booking extra hands on delivery days to cleaning.
• Inventory: Employees can walk through the kitchen speaking inventory counts into their phones while AI transcribes and organizes everything in real time.

The intrigue: Brown believes AI could help independent restaurants compete with giant chains, since smaller operators can experiment quickly and cheaply.

"People need to think about AI in their business, not AI the way McDonald's uses it," Brown says. "How does AI make your unique strengths bigger and louder?"

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A new campaign is vowing to continue fighting President Trump's plans for a championship golf course at East Potomac Park.

Why it matters: A group called "Save East Po" wants to preserve the public's access — for cyclists, picnickers and golfers who don't want to be priced out of their hometown course.

State of play: The Trump administration announced a deal last Friday that keeps the local nonprofit National Links Trust in control of D.C.'s three public courses.

• NLT will renovate the Rock Creek Park course (immediately) and the Langston course (soon, possibly in partnership with the Washington Commanders, which is building its new stadium nearby).
• Also moving forward: Trump's plan to turn East Potomac from a flat beginner's course into an upscale 18-hole facility. Renderings show the new course would build out to the edges of the peninsula, wiping out existing recreational space.

Enter: Save East Po, which is organizing advocacy against creating a tournament venue. They're recruiting golfers and other users of the park to build awareness.

• Alex Rosen, a local who works as a consultant, is leading the charge because he says the public shouldn't lose access: "I'm not good at golf. I use it as a muni course, which is what it's meant for."

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🪧 More guerrilla protest art is popping up on the National Mall from Secret Handshake (creator of the Trump-Epstein statue). "Operation Epic Furious: Strait to Hell," a satirical video game installation about Trump and the Iran war, is happening now at the D.C. War Memorial and online with three free games. (Wired)

🖋️ A nonprofit preservation group sued yesterday to stop Trump's blue resurfacing of the Reflecting Pool, arguing the project bypassed required federal reviews. The lawsuit comes as the no-bid project's cost has climbed to at least $13.1 million, with critics saying the coating undermines the memorial's historic design. (WaPo)

🐼 Tickets are live today for Panda Fest, a fast-growing outdoor Asian food and culture festival debuting in D.C. this summer (Aug. 15-16) with 130 food and merchandise vendors.

Celebrity chef Carla Hall is stepping into a new spotlight: the theater.

Why it matters: Hall is already a star, from the kitchen to TV, so we can't wait to see her stage debut: a one-woman autobiographical show, "Please Underestimate Me," at Olney Theatre.

State of the play: The play, co-written by Hall, premieres June 3.

• The show traces Hall's journey from a self-described "awkward theater kid" in Tennessee to Howard University, modeling in Paris and becoming a nationally known chef and TV personality.

Along the way, Hall — who lives in D.C.— tackles themes of identity, sexism, and expectations around Black excellence, all with her usual humor and candor.

Between the lines: The play boasts a roster of high-profile honorary producers from the DMV food and media world.

The bottom line: Hall isn't just expanding her résumé — she's telling her story on her own terms.

Tickets ($47-$101) are live, June 3-July 12

The Nationals have a new team pup who's already stealing bases — and hearts.

State of paw-lay: Natty, an 8-week-old golden-lab mix, makes his Nats Park debut Friday.

• He's a service dog in training with Canine Companions, and will live with volunteer puppy raisers in Virginia while logging reps at games and team events this season.
• Catch him at Friday's O's game (6:45pm) — also Maryland Night, with a covetable hot dog hat giveaway.

🦮 The bottom line: The Nats may not be racking up wins, but they're leading the league in cuteness.